POP AND ROCK (II)

THE MUSIC OF THE 70`S, 80`S and 90`S

I. THE 70`S

1.1. The reaction to the prior proposals

Two new trends appear to answer the complexity and the excess of the rock progressive with common features: the rejection to the abuse of synthesizers, different intellectual aspirations, the connection with the street public, the saturated sound and an extravagant and theatrical sense on the stage.

a) Glam: It returns happiness and the sense of the spectacle to the rock using the simplicity and the fun with brief and simple songs. They wore outrageous and flamboyant costumes, makeup and hairstyles, Representatives: T-Rex, Lou Reed, David Bowie,b) Heavy metal: It appears due to the evolution of hard rock. Characteristics: trend to low-pitched sounds; powerful drums, dense and repetitive guitar riffs; distorted and shouted voices, and a taste for the sinister, theatrical and satanic staging. The first group was Black Sabbath (“Paranoid”, 1971), but it was followed by Judas Priest, Aerosmith, AC/DC and Mötorhead (whose speed inaugurated the hardcore)

T. Rex: 20th Century Boy

David Bowie: Starman

David Bowie: Life on Mars?

Black Sabbath: Paranoid

Aerosmith: Dream on

AC/DC: Let there be rock

Motörhead: Ace of Spades

1.3. Dance Muisic

1.2. Beyond the borders

a) Reggae: Bob Marley was the responsible of the worldwide spreading of this Jamaican style; he was not only a reggae singer, but also a Rastafarian and political activistit whose lyrics express the pain, struggle, hope and emotion of his town. b) German rock: It joins the experimentation of the psychedelic movement with the new technologies and the classic avant-garde of composers such as Stockhausen, John Cage... It uses only electronic instruments, researching with noises and the collage technique. Representative: Kraftwerk

a) Funk is based on soul and rhythm and blues but it’s faster. It’s featured by the lack of melody and by a syncopated rhythm that is intermittent with energetic riffs. Representative: James Brown b) Disco Music: This authentic social phenomenon mixes people from different origins, social classes and sexual trends on the dance floor. Its rhythmic section is very important due to the intensification of the basses and drums. It’s made by producers and “deejays” (DJ) who create a sonorous continuous by programming discs according to a specific order. Due to this style, the present dance culture will be born. Representatives: Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Village People, Boney M and Bee Gees.

Bob Marley: Could you be loved

Kraftwerk: Radioactivity

James Brown: Sex machine

Gloria Gaynor: I will survive

Village People: YMCA

Bee Gees: Stayin`alive

1.4. Mainstream or commercial music

The recording industries and mass media promote the big groups and rock stars, that were criticized by being too much commercial. Nevertheless, it presents a rock with a high quality and a big acceptance among the public. Although these bands (Supertramp, Dire Straits, Queen) and singers (Bruce Springsteen, Mike Oldfield, Elton John) start during the 70’s, they won’t get the success and splendor until the 80’s.

1.5. Crisis and rupture: Punk rock

It’s the unique revolution rock carried out exclusively by white artists, disseminated as a radical movement against the system and against a rock by superstars in a rational society of the progress that marginalized the problems of the youth. IIts performances are more violent and simple opposite the care and professionalism of the rock. Representatives: Los Ramones in USA and The Clash and Sex Pistols in United Kingdom, band whose critical, insolent, shameless and radical attitudes was a preference with songs such as “Anarchy in the UK” or “God save the Queen”. As any movement bases on the excess and the radicalism its duration was very brief (1976-1979).

Supertramp: Dreamer

Dire Straits: Money for nothing

Queen: Top 10 canciones de Queen de los 70`s

Bruce Springsteen: Born to run

The Ramones: Hey! Oh! Let's go!!

Sex Pistols: "Anarchy inthe UK"

II. THE 80' S

After the Punk, nothing was the same because it got to pull out the roots of the industry of the entertainment, consolidating a new trend far away from the mainstream that looks for new ideas during the 80’s. The recording industry reacts facing the proliferation of independent seals offering a very modern pop that is broadcasted by mass media (video clips in musical channels like MTV). As consequence, the musical taste and consumption becomes universal and homogeneous. Young people looks for refugee in the alternative scene and in modern dance rhythms (electrofunk).

2.1. United Kindom: New Wave

There is a return to the British roots defined by a brilliant pop, cheerful and contagious melodies, a massive support by radio stations and independent seals. The New Wave looks for something different supporting at the beginning of the 60’s and in the ingenious and theatrical sense of the Glam (its visual aspect).

Main characteristics: more cared and elaborated songs with a really sung voice; topics about love, fun, ecology, interbreeding...; clean guitars supported by synthesizers, clear drums and new percussion instruments (maracas, claves, congas); songs of three minutes that tell stories rebirth with British groups such as The Police (Sting, his leader, incorporates the young rebellion and criticism) and American bands such as Talking Heads, Blondie, B’52’s… Inside New Wave there are diverse styles like synth pop and guitars pop.

The Police: Roxanne

Talking Heads: Once in a lifetime

Blondie: Heart of glass

The B-52's: Love Shack

a) Synth-Pop: There are a lot of groups that use samplers, electronic keyboards and rhythms in a natural way in their songs without the intention of experimenting. The most outstanding trends are the Techno Pop (The Human League, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics) and the new romantics (Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet).

b) Guitar Pop: These groups join the guitar sound and the influence of the Irish and Scottish folk, such as Aztec Camara, The Waterboys, The Smiths and U2. This new British pop will go on in the 90’s under the denomination of “Brit Pop”, featured by a great quality with very good produced songs and catchy melodies (Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, Suede).

Depeche Mode: Enjoy the silence

Eurythmics: Sweet dreams

Duran Duran: Ordinary world

Spandau ballet: Gold

The Waterboys: The whole of the moon

The Smiths: There is a light that never goes out

Aztec Camera: Good morning Britain

U2: Sunday bloody sunday

Radiohead: Creep

Oasis: Don't look back in anger

Blur: Girls and boys

Suede: Animal nitrate

Read and listen to more about Brit Pop

2.2. USA: Mainstream and electrofunk

a) Mainstream: The most successful groups come from the 60’s and they are enjoyed as parents as their children. There are neither new values nor great discoveries excepting the honest rock by B. Springsteen and the African sounds by Paul Simon. New female figures appear such as Madonna who puts face to face to the sexist world of the rock with her self-confidence, Whitney Houston and her elegance, Tina Turner and her strength and Tracy Chapman and her frankness.

Paul Simon: Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

Madonna: Papa don't preach

Tina Turner: The best

Tracy Chapman: Talkin' about a revolution

Whitney Houston: I wanna dance with somebody

b) Electrofunk: This dance music appears due to the heritage of Funk and Motown sound thanks to the contribution by Steve Wonder who made the transition from the Soul to the Funk introducing box rhythms, synthesizers and elements of Disco Music. The climax figures are Michael Jackson and Prince who are musical genius, composers and performers with a great sense of the spectacle that is displayed in their video clips.

Michael Jackson: Billie Jean

Prince: Purple Rain

Prince: Kiss

Michael JAckson: Thriller

III. Evolution up to the 21 st century

In spite of the control of the recording industry, radical trends appear that are broadcasted quickly around the world thanks to mass media.

3.1. Alternative Rock (underground or indie)

Featured by a more difficult and experimental sound where the melody is not the most important, they can’t get an immediate success. Proposals:- The new American rock, influenced by the traditional folk, psychedelic rock and countryl (REM)- Hardcore: It comes from the North American punk and its aggressiveness is originated by its incredible speed and the distortion of guitars that reach the pure noise. (Black Flag) - Noises: They use the distortion, a climax chaos and noise. (Sonic Youth)- Grunge: Its dirty sound mix the hard rock with punk touches. It represents the new philosophy of the “X Generations” characterized by the anguish and the despair, the existential depression and an uncertain future who use drugs as a evasion means or as definitive confinement. Outstanding groups are Nirvana (with is leader Kurt Cobain), Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Greenday, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains…

R.E.M.: Losing my religion

Balck Flag: Six Pack

Sonic Youth: Teenage Riot

Nirvana: Smells like teen spirit

Pearl Jam: Jeremy

Soundgarden: Spoonman

Greenday: Basket Case

The Smashing Pumkins: Bullet with butterfly wings

Some of the best songs by Red Hot Chilli Peppers

3.2. Hip hop

It’s a culture expressed by four elements: graphic arts (graffiti), dance (breakdance), music (DJ) and the message (MC). It appeared at the end of the 70’s in the marginal suburbs of the Bronx in New York, where the parties in sport centers and in the streets are the only alternative for the youth that can’t access to the sophisticated discos of the centre. In these “block parties” very amplified mobile systems of sound are used and the DJ (Disc Jockey) chooses and mixes the discs allowing the incessant dance. These are its characteristics:

• Its main cell is the “break”, its basic rhythm.
• IProtagonists: the DJ (Deejay) who selects the breaks and the MC (Master of Ceremonies) who invents the rhymes over the basic rhythm.
• Topics: the marginal communities, the desire of the luxury, the violence riot, the prison and so on. With its evolution, the white youth takes part in it as a vehicle of rebellion and criticism.
• Narrative essence expressed throughout the rap and the sound that tell stories. It uses pieces of other songs as a quote to evoke other age,, helping to get success in the crossbreeding age that defines our society.

• Use of vinyl discs and technologies of the sound in a self-taught way, like the technique of the “scratch” that consists of moving rhythmically towards and forwards the disc against the needle.
• Use of fragments of other songs of different styles with the remix and sampler techniques.
• Performed associated with the break dance that has these basic movements: “looking” (shaking brusquely the whole body), “braking” (spin around the floor), “Body popping” (simulate the movements of a robot) and “moon walk” (turning back as if you were walking ahead).
• Representatives: Sugarhill Gang at the end of 70’s; Afrika Bambaataa, Beastie Boys and Public Enemy at the 80's; Notorious Big, Two Pack, De la Soul, Eminem, Nas.. during the 90`s, with mixes with other trends,

The Sugar Hill Gang: Rapper's delight

Afrika Bambaataa: Just get up and dance

Beastie Boys: Fight for your right (to party)

Public Enemy: Fight the power

Two Pack: California love

MC Hammer: U can't touch this

3.3. Heavy Metak

Heavy Metal keeps a solid musical and thematic basis that has not suffered the changes of other styles. In fact, it’s got the most loyal public of all the popular music. Characterized by sounds that comes from the hard rock and by medieval satanic imagery, this style will increase its speed, the saturated sounds and the guttural voices during the 80’s, making the room for lots of genres:

• Classical Metal: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, AC/DC
• AOR or Pop Metal: Bon Jovi, Europe, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses
• Trash or Speed Metal: Metallica, Creator, Anthrax. (fast and wild percussion of Hardcore).
• Power Metal: Savatage, Nightwish, Stratovarious (epic songs).
• Death Metal: Sepultura, Incantation, Napalm Death (stressed brutality, changes of very opposed rhythms and bestial growls; songs based on the death, the hate and the gore, the politicis and the social problems).
• Black Metal: Lordi, King Diamond (inspired by the Satanism, the mythology, the Viking Heroes, and so on).
• Doom Metal: Paradise Lost, Cathedral (with orchestral arrangements and female opera voices creating an atmosphere of spell)

• Metal Industrial: Ministry, Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, Fear Factory (electronic instruments and repetitive rhythms)
• Nu Metal: Linkin Park, Korn, Deftones (less brilliant distortion of guitars, more importance to the quality of the voice)

Iron Maiden: The Trooper

Metallica: Enter sandman

Stratovarius: Black diamond

Sepultura: Roots bloody roots

Rammstein: Du hast

Linkin Park: Numb

3.4. Electronic Music

The use of the technology accompanied the evolution of the musical avant-gardes (movements such as the serialism, futurism, concrete music that used sounds and noises of conventional objects) with composers like P. Henry, Stockhousen, Berio, Ligeti... Their experiments during the 50’s introduced the electronic in the popular music as the most original contribution in the contemporary music. The technology will be introduced fully in the 80’s making room for new styles. In Spanish, the concept “tecno” without “h” names the pop of the 80’s, but “techno” with “h” calls the electronic music of the 90’s. Characteristics:

• Use of machines as instruments to generate ambient sounds and noises
• Use of the rhythm as the central column of the music
• No need of performers; interest in the quality of the sound equipments
• Music is a collective and free imposition whose authors change their names or use several nicknames to avoid showing their real identity
• New techniques such as DUB: isolate the different rhythms in separated tracks and rebuild them according to the artist’s will who can adding more sounds like echoes; the DUB basis is used to rap over it or to mix it with other sounds or melodies making room for the remix

Electronic styles:

• House, influenced by the Disco Music, Funk, Soul and European Techno pop. D. Guetta, Avicii, Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk. Read more:
• Techno: dance rhythms more futurist and minimalist than house, deep sound and a powerful rhythmic base. Subgenres: Big Beat (Chemical Brothers), Hardcore (“mákina” in Spain) and Gabba (extreme speed)
• Electronic Listening: Ioutside the commercial circuits, addressed to an individual consumption. Subgenres: Chill Out and Ambient
• Trip-Hop: slow hip-hop mixed with soul, reggae and jazz in a collage that uses studio techniques (sampling, sequencing). Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead.

D. Guetta: Gettin' over you

The Chemical brothers: Hey boy hey girl

Massive Attack: Teardrop

Portishead: Glory box

IV. SPANISH MUSIC

4.1. The 70's decade

During the Dictatorship, Rock was considered a suspected style and it was hardly broadcasted by the mass media. Most of the rock discs that arrived were censured, removing dangerous songs or modifying their covers. This situation will change during the Transition but soloists and groups won’t have an infrastructure for their dissemination. The artists can’t hardly live with the money by the sales of their discs and they will have to play around all the country, less the stars of the melodic song (Nino Bravo, Mary Trini, Cecilia). The tries to do progressive rock only put down roots in Cataluña, but the Andalucian rock has a better luck adopting native rhythms (Medina Azahara, Triana). Flamenco Pop appears due to the popularization of the rumba by El Pescailla and Peret that makes the room for the birth of groups such as Los Chichos, Los Chunguitos and Las Grecas. Flamenco will open to new rhythms supported by Paco de Lucía and Camarón de la Isla, whose approximation to pop causes the criticisms of the most purists of flamenco.

The urban rock gets harder and groups such as Burning, Coz, Leño, Topo, Ñu pave the way to the heavy of the 80’s. The lack of repression during the political transition allows the appearance of new movements like the rock of Tequila and the reflect of British punk by Ramoncín.

Nino Bravo: Libre (y su historia)

Medina Azahara: Trece Rosas

Paco de Lucía: Entre dos aguas

Burning: Medley

Leño: Maneras de vivir

4.2. The 80's decade

Political changes with musical consequences:

• After a transition during five years, PSOE wins the elections by absolute majority in 1982 with Felipe González as President of the Government who starts a management with an European, social and democrat character and focus on an opening of Spain to the foreign
• The teacher Enrique Tierno Galván becomes major of Madrid opening the city to the most innovative cultural trends and inaugurating the productive years of the known as “Movida Madrileña”.
• Spain is introduced in the circuit of concerts and the great international stars perform in our country.
• New discos and concert halls are opened that bet by new musical movements like Vía Láctea, Pentagrama, Rock-Ola (the temple of the “movida”).
• New FM radio stations and independent recording industries appear that support audacious initiatives.
• The Spanish musicians are more informed about new movements and they add a lot of originality that compensates its musical inexperience.

The “Movida madrileña” collects the influence of the new wave with groups like Alaska y los Pegamoides, Radio Futura, Mecano, El último de la fila, Gabinete Caligari, La Unión, Loquillo y los Trogloditas, Los Secretos. The “Movida gallega” reflects the influence of the Punk with Siniestro Total, Os Resentidos, Golpes Bajos… During the 80’s, heavy is introduced thanks to Obus, Barón Rojo, and Leño with Rosendo as leader. From the North of Spain, groups such as Ilegales (Asturias) and Barricada, Kortatu and Eskorbuto (Basque Country) appear. Heroes del Silencio, (Zaragoza) had an international repercussion. Luz Casal stands out as female singer, and from the South groups such as Ketama and Pata Negra stand out, mixing blues and flamenco. As songwriters Luis Eduardo Aute and Joaquín Sabina are the most popular, and other such as Joan Manuel Serrat go on their successful career.

Alaska y los Pegamoides: Bailando

Radio futura: Enamorado de la moda juvenil

Sinisestro Total: Bailaré sobre tu tumba

Barricada: En blanco y negro

Ketama: No estamos locos

Luz Casals: Rufino

Joaquín Sabina: Pacto entre caballeros

More hits during "La Movida"

4.3. The 90's decadeDiversity of styles:

• Indie groups: Los Planetas, Sexy Sadie, Australian Blonde, Los Piratas
• New Flamenco: Niña Pastori, La Barabería del Sur
• Fusion: Radio Tarifa, Manu chao, Kepa Junkera, Amparanoia, Orishas, Ojos de Brujo…
• Celtic music: Milladoiro, Luar na Luber, Carlos Núñez, Hevia, Cristina Pato
• Pop: Amara,l El canto del loco, La oreja de Van Gogh...
• Songwriters: Pedro Guerra, Álex Ubago, Alejandro Sanz
• Hip-hop: Mala Rodríguez, Solo los Solo, 7 notas 7 colores, SFDK
• Heavy: Esturión, Extremoduro, Platero y tú, Reincidentes, Def con Dos, Mago de Oz

Los Planetas: Qué puedo hacer

Los Piratas: Años 80

Manu Chao: Clandestino

Orishas: Nací orishas

Carlos Núñez & The Chieftains

Luar na lubre: O son do ar

Amaral: Cómo hablar

Pedro Guerra: Contamíname

Mala Rodríguez: Tengo un trato

SFDK: Malviviendo

Extremoduro: Extremaydura

Platero y tú: Hay poco Rock&Roll

More curiosities and information abou music and society during these decades:

TVE: "La bola de cristal": Los electroduendes. TV

Hits of the 70's

Hits of the 80's

Hits of the 90's

Alternative Rock (2000-2009)

Live AID CONCERT 1985